V-Moda Crossfade LP Headphone Review

Sometimes when we get sent products to review we can tell how good they are just by looking at the packaging, this was the case when we were recently sent the V-Moda Crossfade LP over-ear headphones.

When you open the packaging you have to cut a ribbon and undo a button to get inside, once inside you see a professional and strong exoskeleton case which keep your headphones, cables and 3.5mm to 1/4-inch adapter safe from damage. There are two cables within the exoskeleton casing, one of which is a 36-inch remote/mic cable and the other is a 69-inch stereo audio cable.

Other package contents include a V-Moda VIP card which allows you to register your product and gain exclusive access to product and event offers, access to musique podcasts and preview upcoming products. Also there is a lint-free cloth for polishing your metal headphones, you can see a photo of the professional retail packaging below.

When you unzip the headphones from the exoskeleton casing you get to see how how well-made the headphones are, when you pick them up you feel how soft the leather is and how lightweight and balanced they are, there are some nice metallic touches. Which when you look at the audio cables you can see that they are also high-quality, apparently these are Kevlar-reinforced and when even the jack plugs themselves are professional-looking, you can see a photo of the exoskeleton casing below.

For me the headphones fitted perfectly without any adjustment, however you can adjust the headband to suit your head if you need to. The headphones themselves weigh just 280 grams and the air-cushion memory foam-lined headband and soft-leather ear cushions make the headphones very comfortable. The headphone barely move if you shake your head, that said the firm grip does not put pressure on your ears.

There is a jack socket on the underside of the left ear, here you can plug in your stereo audio cable or the remote/mic cable, Firstly I tested the music playback quality, I loaded up Spotify and played a few tracks, it was noticeable that Spotify Open’s 160kbps audio was not up to scratch so I played some MP3’s which had a 320kbps bit rate, this is when the quality of these headphones began to shine.

I played Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy at full blast and my ears couldn’t take the volume too long, however the sound quality was great and the bass did not sound at all distorted, in fact whatever 320kbps audio I threw at the Crossfade LP’s it all sounded great. V-Moda claim that these headphones were developed over four-years after working with DJs, producers and musicians, it really does show. I got even better results when plugged into my Teufel Concept B 200’s integrated sound card.

I then thought I would try out the remote/mic cable, I plugged the cable into my headphones and my BlackBerry Bold 9700 and made a call, my partner claimed that the cable’s mic sounded fine and I could hear her voice clearly, apparently when plugged into the iPhone 3GS the button will end calls, however my BlackBerry just muted the caller when pressed, the volume controls worked just fine.

You can buy yourself a pair of V Moda Crossfade headphones for $199.99 in the US (here) or £99.99 in the UK (here), there are a wide-range of colors to choose from including White Pearl, Phantom Chrome, Gunmetal Black and Nero. Below we have listed some important tech specs, you can find out more about these headphones here.

I really cannot fault the Crossfade LP Headphones, in terms of design, build quality and attention detail the headphones are great and the sound quality is unquestionable, let’s face it you could easily spend half as much on a pair of headphone which will be uncomfortable, deliver average audio and probably last you half as long, however I get the impression that the Crossfade LP headphone will last me years and still look as great in a few years time. If you think you have manufactured better headphones email me, I would love to do a side-by-side comparison.